Ladies Only Gyms in the UK

In today’s world, where being woke seems to be the order of the day, there has been an increase in unconventional communities, each fighting to be heard and recognized. One such community is the Trans community, which includes men who have transitioned to being women, and women who have transitioned to being men. Since the mid-20th century, this community has been pushing for acceptance, and a part of the world has gradually come to terms with it. However, there has been a pushback by others who do not support this movement and what it stands for.

In the year 2021, Natalee Barnett the founder of The Girls Spot Gym, in Wandsworth-London, made a video showing her unwavering love and support for the trans community; promising to make her “women’s only gym”, inclusive for trans women. This was widely appreciated by the trans community, and also by some biological women. To actualize this dream, she opened a Go-fund-me account and was supported by all and sundry.

thegirlspotgym.com

However, she recently made a video, announcing that her gym facility will be a single-sex space for biological women so that it is a safe space for women who have faced some level of gym intimidation, sexual violence, and assault. She also says that her facility will teach self-defense classes, training on the menstrual cycle, and help women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome – PCOS.

The trans community feels that her change is unwarranted. Some claim that they also suffer sexual assault and violence as biological women. While others claim that, excluding the trans community will affect black women, who look muscular and hairy due to genetics or PCOS. Others have asked for a refund of their money used in supporting the gym.

Natalee has now put her Twitter account on private, and her recent development continues to stir a back-and-forth, between trans women and some biological women. It is ironic, that the trans women seeking respect as women are now bullying and disrespecting biological women on Twitter over this issue. The argument of the trans women hints that, since black women do not fit into the European standards of beauty, black women can also be considered as men. Is this then safe to conclude that, trans women – men pretending to be women, are just as misogynistic as straight men, and should not be in women’s spaces?